The Lurking
by ooliblikas
Summary: Home for winter break, Roxas and his friends decide to state-hop to find the perfect haunted house. When they enter an abandoned hospital, they get more than they bargained for. AxelxRoxas, RikuxKairi, RikuxSora, DemyxxZexion
1. Spider Hole

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Kingdom Hearts characters.**

**A/N: First FanFic I'ever ever written. Please, be rough. Also, I didn't want to just spill all kinds of background detail so things are kind of vague still. My apologies if that irritates anyone.**

"What's next on the list?"

A red-head pipes up from the back of the black jeep, shuffling through papers as she glances at the other members in the car.

"Well, there's the Bowman House." A petite blond offers; looking to make sure she has everyone's attention before continuing, "The family supposedly died in an unknown manner. People have suggested typhoid or some other disease, but others' believed that they were attacked due to a mysterious dark spot found at the top of the stairs, which has reportedly given sensitive visitors unpleasant feelings…"

"What do you think, Rox?" The girl leans forward to hand the blond male in the passenger seat the paper.

"Looks good, but it says that visitors aren't welcome at night." The male frowns, turning the paper over.

"Oh, yeah, like that's ever stopped us before." The red-head scoffs, rolling her eyes as she laughs.

"That's true, but I don't really feel like getting arrested tonight, Kairi. " The driver, a platinum blond male, snorts while glancing back at the red-head who deflates at the rejection.

"Well, what about the Tannerwood Inn?" The blonde female tries again, "While no one has ever died in the Inn, it's reported that those who've drowned in the river nearby, including a mother and her child, inhabit the inn. There are numerous hauntings and it—"

"Sounds bogus, Nam. Hey, Riku, weren't we supposed to meet up with some of your friends for this shit?" Roxas interjects, sinking into his seat as exhaustion from chasing nonexistent ghosts and violating numerous laws overcomes him.

"Yeah, they said they were going to find some haunted places of their own." The driver's tone sounds more agitated than excited, smirking when Roxas seems to give him a look of empathy. "Hey, Namine, do me a favor and find out where Demyx is?"

Namine sighs, barely catching the phone that's tossed at her. After dialing the number, she cradles it in her shoulder as she helps Kairi sort through papers.

"Hey, Demyx? Oh, Zexion? When do you guys want to meet up and where? Oh, really! That's awesome! What's the address?" The blond scrambles for a pen, jotting down the address with a smile plastered on her face as her red-head companion practically bounces in her seat. "Alright, see you then."

When she hangs up she hands Roxas the address, "Here, put this in the GPS. Zexion says they found an abandoned hospital not too far from here."

Seeing the irritated expressions of the two men, Namine sighs, "Look, this will be the last one, okay? Then we can go back to the hotel, have a couple of beers, and call it a night, alright?" The blonde reasons while looking over to Kairi for help.

"Yeah, plus, we need to meet up with your friends anyway, right? No better way to get acquainted then some good old fashioned ghost hunting." The red-head jests, batting her eye-lashes at Riku in the rear-view mirror. Riku sighs, briefly putting his hands up in defeat.

Roxas chuckles at the driver, "You give in way too easy, Riku."

* * *

"Is this it?"

Roxas presses his face to the glass attempting to get a better view. Unfortunately, all he sees is darkness and a big iron gate, "Yeah that locked gate looks pretty uninviting." He jests, sighing as he slips his hands into his coat pockets.

"What'd you expect?" Riku quirks a brow, putting the car in 'park' before dialing Demyx's number.

"Did you see that?"

"See what, Kairi?"

"I-I'm not sure. I think there's someone out there."

The red-head presses her face to the glass, trying to make out any figures in the dark. When she sees something move she jumps, causing Namine to let out a yelp as well.

"It's probably just Demyx." Riku reasons while bringing the phone to his ear.

"Or a cop." Roxas grumbles, looking displeased as he glances out his own window, "I think Kairi's right, though. It looks like there's someone out there." The blond narrows his eyes, concentrating on the unmoving shadows when he's suddenly startled by two large hands slamming against the window, followed by piecing grin eyes and a shit eating grin.

"What the fuck Axel?" Riku yells, closing the phone as he glares at the red-head male who lets out a hearty laugh as he walks over to the driver-side window.

"Aye, sorry blondie, didn't mean to scare you." The lanky man comments, gesturing to a still-shocked Roxas before turning his green eyes onto Riku, "Demyx and Zexion are bickering back at the van. Hope you don't mind but I also invited Sora."

"You did what?" Riku glares at the red-head, but is ignored as Axel choses to lean a bit more into the car to see everyone else, "I recognize Riku and Namine, but who are you two?"

"Good manners, Ax." Namine shakes her head, pointing to the girl next to her, "That's Kairi, y'know, Riku's new girlfriend? Oh, and the guy you scared the piss out of is Roxas."

Axel smirks at the two, chuckling when Roxas gives him a half-hearted wave, "Well, nice to meet the two of you. Heard a lot about you, Kairi." He snickers, glancing at Riku before walking away from the Jeep to inspect the gate.

"Yeah, it's a real pleasure. " Roxas remarks with sarcasm, getting out of the Jeep to stretch his legs.

Namine, who recognizes the glare Kairi is giving Riku, clears her throat, "Uh, well, I'll go make sure that Zexion hasn't strangled Demyx, okay?" Before Riku can convince her to stay, she slips out of the Jeep and starts walking up the dirt road.

"Why would he invite Sora?" Kairi begins, climbing up to the passenger seat, "I thought everything was settled with that?"

"It is, Kairi. Axel is an asshole, alright? It's not a big deal. Just drop it, okay?" The male snarls as he glares at the red-head next to him. Without waiting for a reply, he climbs out of the Jeep and slams the door behind him, leaving his startled girlfriend to ponder the event.

* * *

"So, how exactly do you plan to get past the big padlock?" Roxas teases, joining Axel at his side as they both examine the large and towering gate.

"We cut the lock." Axel shrugs, running his fingers over the engraved designs on the gate, "Demyx has bolt cutters in his jeep." He remarks, moving past Roxas to go get the supplies from Demyx's van, leaving Roxas to guard the gate.

The blond frowns, feeling anxious despite being in viewing distance of Riku's jeep. Ignoring his growing fear he glances back at the gate with an uneasy feeling, trying to see the hospital past the rows of trees.

* * *

"Demyx, you got the bolt cutters?" Axel asks while taking a bag from a still fuming Zexion and slinging it over his shoulder.

"Yeah, it's right here." A mullhawked blonde hands the tool over before rolling his eyes at the brunette male that sticks a hand-held camera in his face.

"So, Demyx, tell the audience what it's like to be denied sex for two months in a row."

"Not now, Sora." Demyx pouts, glancing at his boyfriend who is intent on ignoring him.

"Come on, Sora. You're going to make it worse." Namine giggles, pulling the brunette away as she hands him a bag, "Is all this equipment necessary? I mean, we've just been using flashlights to investigate."

"Well, it's a big place. There's no way we'll be able to cover it all so it'd be nice to set up some cameras." Zexion finally speaks, shutting the hatch to the van as he crosses his arms over his chest.

"Plus, Axel and I got some…party favors if this turns out to be a bust." Demyx smirks, locking the van as the group walks back to Riku's jeep.

"Party favors?" Namine frowns, looking between Axel and Demyx for an explanation.

"He means booze and pot." Sora chirps, focusing his camera on Zexion, "Which is why Zexion is pissed." He snickers when he receives a middle finger from Zexion, turning the camera off for the mean time as they catch up to Riku.

"Guess you two haven't killed each other." Riku smirks, taking a bag from Namine before patting Zexion on the back and putting an arm around Demyx's shoulders, "Could've told me Sora was going to be here." He whispers angrily, making sure the brunette male can't hear him.

"Thought it would've been a nice surprise." The mullhawked man snickers before looking at Riku seriously, "Look, I didn't know Axel invited him, but what's the problem?"

The conversation is dismissed as Kairi comes into sight. The red-head promptly introduces herself to Riku's friends, smiling awkwardly at Sora as she joins Riku's side.

"So this is the girl you've been talking about?" Demyx questions while looking between Kairi and Riku with a quirked brow, "She's a lot prettier than you let on, Riku."

"That she is." The brunette male smirks, snickering under his breath as Namine jabs him in the side with her elbow.

Kairi frowns, ignoring Sora as she follows after Riku.

By the time they reach the gate, Roxas is poking around his crumbled pack of cigarettes with a look of displeasure. The blond practically jumps when the other members of the group show up. He watches Axel cut the chain to the gate with a frown. He swallows hard and crosses his arms over his chest. With the chain broken, Axel gives the rusted gate a gentle push open. The gate groans, stuttering slightly as the hinges force themselves awake.

"The building should be right up the road." Demyx grins, sounding a bit too excited for someone breaking and entering.

"Why couldn't we take the van again?" The only brunette in the group whines, shifting the weight of the bag on his shoulder as he looks at nearby members.

"Supposedly the road thins out and makes it inaccessible to vehicles." Zexion offers, frowning as he looks at the path and forest ahead of them.

"Seems kind of inconvenient for a former hospital, doesn't it?" Roxas rolls his eyes, taking the moment to introduce himself to the other members of the group before helping Sora with some of the camera equipment. "What's all this stuff exactly?"

"Video equipment, EMF Meter, EVP equipment, thermometers, flashlights, motion sensors. The works, really. " Zexion replies, looking rather proud of his collection.

"So….nerd stuff, right?" Namine giggles as she pats a pouting Zexion on the back.

"Yeah, nerd stuff. Can we get going now?" Zexion sighs, pushing past the other members as he starts hiking up the winding dirt road. Axel is quick to follow after, turning on a flashlight as they make their way through the woods and up to the abandoned hospital.


	2. Holy Water

"Blackadder Sanitarium?" Roxas scoffs, trailing his fingers over the faded letters plastered to the brick wall just outside the hospital, "A sanitarium? Not exactly the hospital I had in mind." The blond frowns as he withdraws his hand from the sign. He glances over at Namine who is timidly inspecting the entrance with Kairi.

"The wood is loose here. Can someone help me with this?" Axel calls out not too far off from the two girls, pulling back at a piece of wood that's meant to board up a broken window. With the help of Riku, the board snaps and leaves a decent sized entrance for them. Without hesitation, Axel climbs into the building despite an anxious protest from Kairi.

"Maybe this isn't such a good idea, guys. This place is really starting to give me the creeps."

"Don't worry, Kairi. I'm sure there's nothing to be afraid of." Sora chuckles, turning his camera back on, "Besides, I'm sure Riku will protect you. He's always been good at that." The brunette snorts while rolling his eyes. With the help of the light on his hand-held, he illuminates the sanitarium as he climbs in after Axel.

Once everyone's inside, Roxas uses his flashlight to look at the map painted on the wall behind them. Despite the chipping and water damage, the map is still readable. His blue eyes dart across the map, mesmerizing it to the best of his ability before following the group further into the abandoned hospital.

Eventually, they settle in what they assume to be the former main lobby. Roxas sets his bag down before crouching to take out the video equipment and helping Zexion set up his laptops. After testing to make sure all of the camera works, Zexion divides them amongst the group.

"Roxas and Sora can set up in the wash room on the third floor, Axel and Demyx can do the dining room on the first, Namine and Kairi can set up in the hallways of the dormitories on the third and fourth floor, and Riku can do the storage room in the basement."

"And what exactly are you going to do?" Riku crosses his arms over his chest, looking rather displeased at having to go to the basement alone.

"I'm going to make sure you idiots don't screw everything up." The raven-haired male smiles, handing each pair a walkie-talkie. When Axel and Demyx are too busy goofing off with the equipment, particularly the walkie-talkie, Zexion sighs, "On second thought, Sora can go with Demyx and Axel can go with Roxas."

* * *

**THE DORMITORIES**

"This place seriously gives me the creeps, Namine." The red-head crosses her arms over her chest for emphasis, glancing over her shoulder as the blonde works on setting the camera on its tripod.

"That's what's fun about being a place like this." The blonde stands and brushes herself off as she turns the camera on. "Look, I don't think this place is really haunted. In fact, I don't even believe in ghosts, but it's fun scaring yourself." She smiles, shrugging her shoulders, "Trust me, Kairi, everything will be fine."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." The red-head smiles faintly but continues to glance over her shoulder. "Still doesn't help that I feel like we're being watched."

* * *

**THE DINING ROOM**

"So what's up with you and Zexion?" The brunette drawls, recording the large dining room with his hand-held camera as Demyx fiddles with the video camera.

"He's just pissed because I started smoking again, y'know? He thinks I'm going to go back to my old ways."

"You were in high school back then and hanging out that shitty garage band" Sora teases, crouching down next to Demyx. He sets his camera on the floor and helps check to see if the camera on the tripod is functioning correctly.

"He's also pissed because I slept with Axel a couple of months ago." Demyx clears his throat awkwardly, relieved that the video cameras don't pick up sound.

"Oh, shit." The brunette looks at Demyx with disbelief and confusion before smacking the man on the back of his head, "Idiot, Zexion loves you. How could you sleep with Axel?"

The blonde recoils while rubbing at the back of his head, "It's a long story."

"Yeah, well, I've got time." With the tripod set up, the brunette shines the flashlight on his partner like an interrogation scene, "Start talking."

* * *

**THE WASH ROOM**

"There's no graffiti" Roxas muses to himself as him and Axel walk down the endless corridors back to the main lobby.

"What?" The red-head looks down at the blonde with confusion, cut from his thoughts by the peculiar statement. When his brain finally catches up to the conversation, he glances around the corridor before focusing his emerald gaze back on Roxas, "Yeah, so?"

"Well, this place looks like it's been abandoned for years, right? You're going to tell me that no teenagers have vandalized the place? We haven't even seen any trash littering the floors or any signs that this place has been tampered with. No vandals? No squatters? Nothing? "

With a feeling of unease, "I guess that is a bit unusual, but it's not like the place is completely intact. Someone had to loosen the board outside, right? So someone's been in here before." The red-head reasons with a shrug.

Roxas doesn't seem to be put at ease, but shrugs despite his worries. He reaches up to his ear, fiddling with the metal stud in it out of nervous habit, "So what's the back story to this place anyhow?"

"Like a lot of older sanitariums, Blackadder was known for its unusual treatment procedures; lobotomies, shock therapy, water shock therapy, and torture. It's got a past riddled with gruesome tales and stories. What makes Blackadder different is that even after the laws changed many of the doctors continued using their cruel medical treatments. Families were sending their mentally ill to be tortured and they had no idea." The red-head shrugs, but stops in his tracks to shine the flashlight down the corridor behind them, "Aye, blondie, you hear something?"

"My name isn—what was that?" The blonde freezes as he listens intently. The flashlight doesn't offer much relief as the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. He briefly hears the sound of wood being dragged across linoleum, but it disappears just as quickly as it came. His breathing finally evens out and he's about to say something to Axel when the red-head reaches out and grabs him, causing the male to let out a girlish yelp, "Fucking asshole! Scare me again and I swear I'll kick your ass." The blond threatens, whacking the taller male on the arm, "Is this how you treat all the people you meet?"

Axel laughs unmercifully at Roxas' reaction and the image of the blond even attempting to kick his ass fuels his laughter even more. When he finally catches his breath, "I couldn't pass up such a good opportunity." The red-head continues to chuckle as Roxas pushes past him to continue walking, "Oh come on, you're not that mad, are you?" The red-head frowns slightly as he walks to catch up to the shorter male.

* * *

**THE STORAGE ROOM**

"Come on, Riku, keep it together." The male lets out a shaky sigh, picking up the tripod he'd dropped moments ago. However, he curses under his breath as he realizes the camera lens was damaged in the fall. "Fuck, Zexion is going to be pissed." The male groans while rubbing at the back of his neck as he musters the courage to face Zexion's wrath over the walkie-talkie, "Zexion? Can you hear me?"

"Yeah, what is it Riku? Don't tell me you're too scared to be in the basement?"

Riku rolls his eyes at the laughter in the man's voice, "No, I'm not scared, but I did drop your camera. The lens is cracked, but it looks like it might still work." He listens to the static as he turns the video camera on, relieved that it does work despite the large crack running horizontally across the screen.

"You did what?!" Zexion seems to grumble underneath his breath before finally responding to Riku, "Look, just set it up and get back here. You'll just have to buy me a new camera." The tone is smug, almost mocking as Zexion chuckles before the walkie-talkie cuts out.

Riku sighs, choosing not to argue with the man as he finishes setting up. However, as he's busy fiddling with the video camera he notices a shadow move across the screen. "Holy shit." He breathes, taking a step back as he nervously points his flashlight towards the direction of the shadow. He's relieved to see nothing, trying to calm himself down as he quickly grabs his things and makes his way back up to the lobby. He tries to convince himself that it's just his mind playing tricks on him, but he can't help but feel that it was something more.

* * *

Once back at the lobby, Zexion demonstrates how to work the other electronic devices before splitting everyone back into groups and heading out to see if they can document any activity. However, after about two hours of nothing, they decide to call it quits and head back to the lobby. Disappointed, Axel is the first to crash on the floor and have himself a beer from one of the coolers Demyx and him brought. Riku follows suit and eventually the group finds themselves huddled on the floor drinking and chatting.

"Well, this turned out to be a bust." Demyx snorts, looking at the label on his bottle before lying back on the floor and dragging a semi-reluctant Zexion down with him.

"It wasn't a complete loss. We're having fun now, aren't we?" Namine smiles, trying to bring some optimism to the group, "Plus, the night's not even over yet. Who knows, maybe Zexion's cameras will catch something." She shrugs.

Riku, who has been unusually quiet and reserved, looks around at the other members before clearing his throat, "I saw something in the basement. At least, I think I did. I don't really know; it could've been my eyes playing tricks on me."

"Yeah, I thought I heard something too." Roxas confesses, looking at Axel accusingly, "Then again, it could've been someone messing with me."

"Me? Never! We've hardly even met." The red-headed male takes a swig of his beer as he claps a hand on Riku's back, "Oi, I'm sure it was nothing. "

Kairi gives her boyfriend's hand a reassuring squeeze before standing up to get another beer. "Hey, Zexion, one of the cameras is out." The girl gestures towards the nearby laptop, leaning down to look at the screen, "Looks like the one in the wash room. Should someone go fix it?"

Zexion sighs, standing up despite Demyx's protests. He looks at the screen himself before rubbing at the back of his neck, "I'll go fix it."

Kairi frowns as she looks at the screen before glancing up at Zexion, "I'll go with you, okay?"

* * *

**THE WASH ROOM**

"There it is." Zexion grumbles as he sets the tripod back up. He frowns when he realizes that the camera is damaged and crouching he begins trying to fix it, "Hey, can you shine your light over here?" He removes the video lens and cleans it off, waiting for Kairi. When she doesn't respond he glances up, but doesn't see her, "Kairi?"

Zexion stands, leaving the camera to look for Kairi. "She was just here a second ago." The man mumbles to himself, swallowing hard as he tries to squint in the dark even with the flashlight illuminating his path. He continues to walk down the length of the room only stopping when he steps in a puddle, "What the..?" The raven-haired male steps back, oddly relieved to see that the puddle is just water. He soon realizes that the sound of flowing water is somewhere up ahead of him, "Kairi?!" He calls out, hoping that this is just a joke.

Finding his courage, he walks through the puddle and towards the sound of water. As the water engulfs his sneakers, it dawns on him that it'd be impossible for the building to still have flowing water. He hesitates in his movements, moving his flashlight around the room to find the source of the water. That's when he feels something grab his legs. He yells, collapsing to the ground before scrambling to get away from whatever grabbed him. When he feels another hand on him, he makes it to his feet and runs from the room. By the time he makes it back to the lobby he's out of breath and so frightened that he ends up dry heaving nearby his video equipemt.

"Whoa, Zexion, are you alright?" Demyx gets to his feet, walking over to Zexion and putting a hand on the man's back with a look of concern etched on his face.

"Where' Kairi?" With panic, Riku walks over to Zexion and Demyx, "Zexion, where is Kairi?" He tries once more, anxiety and tension evident in his voice as he tries to get Zexion to answer him.

"I-I don't know. I-she was with me, and then…" Zexion frowns while shaking. He furrows his brows, looking at Riku, "She was just gone." His voice cracks, swallowing hard as he holds onto Demyx.

Before Riku can get another word in, a blood-curdling scream is heard off in the distance. The screaming continues for several moments before being abruptly caught off. Grabbing Zexion by his arm, Riku stares down the man, "Take me to where you last saw her!" The man yells as panic washes over him, trying to force Zexion to his feet.

"I'm not going back there." The raven-haired male growls while trying desperately to pull himself out of Riku's grip, "I'm not going back there! You can't make me!" The male finally manages to pry Riku off him, backing away from him on the floor.

"I'll go with you, okay?." Sora states apprehensively, grabbing his flashlight as he joins Riku, "It'll be okay, alright? She probably just got lost." He tries to sound calm, but his voice betrays him as it shakes with each syllable.

Namine stands and walks over to Sora's side, "I'll go too. I don't have much medical training, but if she's injured at least I'll have an idea of what to do."

"We'll stay here with Zexion and keep him calm." Axel states while grabbing one of the walkie-talkies and handing it Sora, "Just in case." He tries to give them a reassuring smile, but if falters as he watches the trio walk down the corridor and disappear into the dark.

"Here, I think he's in shock." Roxas mumbles, putting his jacket over Zexion. As he does, he notices something on Zexion's ankle, "What's that?" He questions, reaching down to lift the hem of Zexion's jeans, gasping as he reveals a large bruise in the shape of a hand on the man's skin, "Oh my god."


End file.
